Secret Hearts
by NephilimEQ
Summary: Boris and Hank have had a secret...and now that Hank has discovered that Boris is alive, things have changed. PLEASE REVIEW! I love my reviewers.


**Secrets**

"Evan, this is really important," Hank said, stressing the last word. "Boris is trying to get his life back!"

_Our life back_, he corrected in his mind. The secret that he'd harbored for too long and hadn't told a soul. The secret that he would take to his grave if he absolutely had to. The fact that he and Boris were in love and were having to hide it from everyone they knew.

"_Please_ don't lose sight of that, okay?"

"Okay," Evan muttered as Hank walked over to the kitchen counter.

And then Milosh showed up.

Quickly, Hank took Evan to the side and quickly explained to him what he wanted him to do.

"Listen to me," he said holding his brother's arms. "I want you to go."

"Where?"

"_Any_where but here. I want you to call Boris, tell him what's happened, and do not come back." Evan sighed, but Hank plowed on. "Give me your phone; I'll put in his number."

Without a thought as to what he was doing, Hank plugged in the seven numbers of Boris' cell phone, not even bothering to think about how it would look to his brother. He knew Boris' number more easily than he knew his own cell phone number from late night phone calls over the past few weeks since he'd discovered that his lover was alive.

That number had been his lifeline.

* * *

"Boris, Milosh was never supposed to get this close," Hank said to the man he loved. He gestured at the screens in front of them and continued, "You're putting innocent people at risk, people I _care_ about!"

"I know, I know…" was all that Boris said, and Hank was confused…up until the point Boris threw the full wine glass at the screen and shattered the glass.

The look Boris gave him spoke a thousand words.

"We're going to expose Milosh's agenda, and put an _end_ to this bloodshed."

That was what he said out loud, but the look that Boris gave him said something else entirely. It said, 'You're_ one of the people I care about. _You're_ one of the people that I'm putting at risk. But I'm doing it all for you, Hank. All for you. Don't you know that by now?'_

And now he knew.

* * *

"Do you really think he'll apologize?"

"Oh, I imagine his attorney insisted that he appear remorseful so that she can plea for leniency…"

They stepped into the room where Milosh was handcuffed to the hospital bed, and Hank knew that Boris was seeing himself in a way. Sometime, they didn't know when, he would either be in a hospital bed, or he would be dead. That was simply the truth of it.

Milosh almost looked like a child as he said, "Hello, Boris. Thank you for visiting."

Hank saw Boris' eyes harden.

In an icy tone he replied, "This is not a social call, Milosh." At his words, Milosh looked hurt, and Hank looked up at Boris and was even more surprised to hear Boris say, "You were lucky I turned you over to the authorities instead of…_handling_ you myself…"

The young doctor tried to reach out to his lover in the only way that he could, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder as Boris attempted to take a step forward.

"Uh, I gave the physicians here your latest test results," he said to Milosh, trying to diffuse the tension.

Milosh gave a slight nod.

"I have some questions," Boris asked, his cold not as icy as before, but still just as cutting.

"First tell me again," said Milosh and as Hank looked over to Boris he saw a confused look cross the older man's face.

"What?"

"I know, you've told me a hundred times...but once more. The Count of Saint Germane, the man who does not die."

The smile and the look on Milosh's face told Hank all that he needed to know. The man was in one of his delusional states and thought that he was a child again, and that he and Boris were playing one of the childhood games. Milosh's next comment a few moments later confirmed it.

"We'll have to come back when he's more…lucid," Hank whispered.

"Milosh-"

Milosh was still in his delusion when he said, "Cousin Boris, papa won't be home for hours and I'm bored…"

Hank looked back at Boris and was stunned by the look of pain and loss in the man's eyes. It wouldn't have been obvious to anyone else, but to Hank Lawson it was as plain as day. He knew that for Boris, looking at Milosh was like looking into his own future…his own inevitable demise. And yet, at the same time, like looking into his past, to the times that they had shared together when he and Milosh had been almost inseparable. It must have been unbearable.

They turned and left the room, Boris shaking his head, Hank following close behind.

He knew that Boris did not want Hank to see _him_ fade in such a way, but Hank would not leave his lover's side, no matter what the man threatened him with.

* * *

Boris walked into his old home, box in hand.

Paige looked up from her phone as he walked into the room, true contrition on her face as she said, "Boris, I am _so_ sorry this reassembly is taking so long. We should be done by next week."

He quickly reassured her.

"There's no rush," and placed the box in his hand onto the table in front of her as she continued to nervously talk.

"You can rest assured that everything will be _exactly_ as you left it."

"Good. Open that," he replied, briefly tapping his fingers on the box to show what he was referring to.

This wasn't normal for him to do, but after Hank had told him last week during their risky operation with the auction, that he was risking innocent people's lives, Boris had begrudgingly realized that the doctor was right, and he was determined to show Hank that he was aware of it. He loved the man and was going to do his best to prove that he cared for the people in his life.

He watched as she opened it, feeling his conscience ease somewhat.

"I would like for you, Ms. Lawson, to put these up for auction personally and to claim the commission."

"That's not necessary," she faintly tried to protest, but he pushed against her saying, "I insist."

After a moment, he continued his thought, explaining to her why he was doing what he was doing.

"I…_regret_ enlisting you and your auction house without…making you aware of all the implications." She smiled and looked back down at the box that he'd given her, and he turned to walk away, but then turned and said, "Oh, and Marisa, Carlos, and I won't return until the fall. You and your husband should feel free to…remain in our home, if you wish."

"That's very generous. Will you and your family be traveling?"

Boris glanced to the side.

"We've not yet decided…"

Of course he wasn't going to tell her that Marisa was _not_ actually his wife and that he did _not_ have a son, that the boy was someone else's, and that his choice of words truly meant that _he_ was the one who had not yet decided. He knew that they would be, but he wasn't sure if he could leave Hank for that long, and he fairly certain that Marisa understood.

"They must be looking forward to spending time with you, now that everything's behind you," she said, giving him a hopeful smile.

He simply nodded and left the room.

The only thought on his mind was finding a place where he could spend some time with and take advantage of his lover without being seen by anyone. He was desperate to _truly_ being alone with Hank, as he hadn't had an actual moment where it was just the two of them…

…Well, that wasn't entirely true. They'd had a moment earlier today, but Hank had been checking up on him then, medically speaking, and it wouldn't have been appropriate. If there was one thing that Boris was, it was professional, and he knew that both he and Hank had the same kind of mentality when it came to that sort of thing. No mixing business and pleasure. They could have the same people, but there was work and there was…well, _not_ work, and they both respected that.

Right now he simply wanted the chance to show Hank how much he mattered in his life.

* * *

**Part 1/2**


End file.
